Russia and Uzbekistan to jointly address migration issues – Putin

Russia and Uzbekistan have agreed to closely coordinate efforts on labor migration. This was announced on June 18 by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the heads of leading global news agencies, as reported by TASS.

“We are well aware of the social issues and the state of the labor market. We agreed with President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev to work together on these matters. We understand the situation here, and Uzbekistan is also under pressure. But we have determined the steps that need to be taken — first and foremost, to provide pre-departure preparation for those intending to work in Russia,” Putin stated.

He emphasized the importance of focusing on youth in this process, highlighting the growing ties between young people in Russia and Uzbekistan as a crucial factor in long-term cooperation.

It is worth noting that earlier, Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Alexander Gorovoy, announced at the IX Labor Forum in St. Petersburg that by the end of 2024, the number of foreign citizens in Russia would reach 6.3 million, including 1.4 million Uzbeks.

Previously, Russian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Yakovlev claimed at an international conference on “Peace, Sustainable Development and Migration” held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, that Uzbek citizens were responsible for the highest number of crimes among migrants in Russia. According to Yakovlev, 35.5 percent of crimes committed by foreign nationals in the first quarter of this year were attributed to Uzbeks.